MPs have voted in favour of spending £369 million on a major 10-year-refurbishment of Buckingham Palace.

The MPs backed changes to the Sovereign Grant- the funding for the monarch’s official duties- by 464 votes to 56- an incredible majority of 408.

The grant will increase by 66% to pay for the refurbishment of Buckingham Palace.

The work will take ten years. However, officials say it is essential and needed to avoid the risk of “catastrophic building failure.”

Some parts of the building have not been replaced for 60 years, and there are fears about fire or water damage due to ageing cables, old pipes, wiring and boilers.

MP’s voting against include the entirety of the SNP, two Labour MPs and the sole Green MP.

The Scottish National Party said it opposed the money being allocated for the Palace during a time of austerity.

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell described himself as a Republican but voted in favour for the funding as the palace is a “national monument” that must be preserved.

The repair programme is due to begin in April. Despite this, Buckingham Palace will remain open to visitors throughout the ten years as the project is phased over this time.

Is it worth it?

It is important to note the importance of the repairs. Crucial repairs for one of Britain’s leading tourist attractions and a major part of our countries history and culture should be the worth the price tag.

The cost will be spread over ten years and in comparison is only 0.0003% of the NHS budget. The refurbishment of the House of Commons will cost a lot more – a whopping £4BN.

While the SNP criticise the funding in a time of austerity, there is only one person paying for the renovations: The Queen.

The Treasury has received £2.4 billion in profit on assets owned by the Crown since 2007. That is SIX TIMES the £369 million cost.

The repair of such a historic monument to British history is most certainly worth it.